There is an overwhelming body of evidence that demonstrates that women have faced the brunt of the pandemic, from unprecedented job losses to the impact of increasing unpaid care work and the devastating rise in gender-based violence across the country. As coined by economist Armine Yalnizyan, Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers, the “she-cession” has been relentless in reversing decades of hard-fought gains to advance gender equality in the workplace.

Young people have also faced disproportionate impacts because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millennials and members of Gen Z have faced disruptions to their schooling, were often the first workers laid off because of COVID-induced lockdowns, were shortchanged in their earnings, and are experiencing higher levels of anxiety, depression and social isolation. Job insecurity is on the rise, and young people are unclear of where to take their careers in this time of economic uncertainty. The economic consequences of their departure from the labour market, including reduced lifetime earnings, atrophied skills and erosion of professional networks, could be felt for up to 10 years.

These factors are further compounded for young women, especially Black, Indigenous and racialized women; women living with disabilities; and newcomer women. Statistics Canada highlights that young women are the demographic group that is furthest from pre-COVID-19 employment numbers. An RBC Economics report by Dawn Desjardins and Carrie Freestone found that while Gen Z women make up just 2.5% of Canada’s labour force, they represented 17% of the job losses.

Through my work, volunteering and participation in mentorship programs, I speak with young people across the country every week. They share their hopes, their fears and also their frustrations that their needs are not being considered in pandemic policy-making. I worry that if we don’t take the right steps now, young people will become a “lockdown generation” with limited opportunities to realize their full potential.

So how do we prevent that from happening?

First, it begins with recognizing that we need a robust intergenerational lens on all budgetary allocations. A prime opportunity to put this in action is the upcoming federal budget, slated for April 19. This will be the country’s first budget in over two years and the first one that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will put forward in her dual role as Canada’s Minister of Finance. I am hoping for a continued focus on an intersectional feminist approach to recovery, as the YWCA Canada and others have called for, and also an intergenerational approach.

Second, we need to address one of the most pressing challenges: employment precarity. We know that getting into the labour market during times of economic strife is difficult for everyone but especially for those with lower levels of social capital – like young people. We should look at implementing policy measures like a youth job guarantee, similar to what exists in the European Union: within four months of leaving education or becoming unemployed, every young person under 30 is guaranteed to have a good-quality job, continued education or free training.

This could build on the federal government’s investments in the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. It will be vital for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). During the pandemic, the number of NEET youth has grown to unprecedented levels – currently one in four young people in Canada.

Finally, beyond the workplace, we need the 2021 budget to include targeted solutions to address the other issues that are disproportionately affecting young people, including the pandemic-induced mental health crisis, housing insecurity, the staggering burden of tuition fees and post-secondary education debt, as well as the digital divide that makes it hard for everyone to be connected online.

This is just the beginning. Much more needs to be done, but it must start with the recognition that Canada won’t have an economic recovery without an action plan that addresses the immediate and long-term impacts of this crisis on young people.

The decisions made during this time, both good and bad, will be felt for generations to come. If we want an economy that works for everyone, we must prioritize and maximize opportunities for millennials and Gen Z. So let’s make sure we invest in younger generations to have a real shot at building back better.

Our collective future depends on it.

Anjum Sultana is the national director of public policy and strategic communications at YWCA Canada. She was recently named one of Canada’s Top 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders by Corporate Knights. Sultana will be moderating a panel discussion to look at the 2021 federal budget through an intersectional feminist and youth equity lens on April 22.

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As YWCA and the Institute for Gender and the Economy’s newly released Feminist Recovery Plan for Canada suggests, we cannot make meaningful progress on economic recovery from this pandemic without rooting out and addressing racism in all its forms. This means undertaking the calls to action for equity and economic justice that BIPOC communities have been advocating for, such as ensuring access to decent work, bolstering BIPOC-led businesses and changing workplace policies and culture.

The essential work that has been fundamental to our crisis response throughout the pandemic is extremely gendered and racialized. Although BIPOC women are overrepresented in essential occupations and have been supporting us through this pandemic, they tend to experience precarious working conditions with limited benefits and low wages.

Take, for example, personal support workers (PSWs), many of whom work at nursing homes caring for elderly COVID-19 patients: a 2010 survey of these workers in Ontario found that 96% identified as women. Forty-two percent identified as racialized, nearly double the percentage of racialized people in the province. Eighteen percent identified as Black, compared to 4% of the population, and 5% identified as Indigenous, compared to 2% of the population.

PSWs are on the frontlines of our pandemic response, working around the clock. Yet they are severely underpaid and often work without protections such as paid sick leave or access to personal protective equipment. The tragic deaths of several PSWs from COVID-19 in Ontario, primarily Black and racialized people, as well as the increased spread of COVID-19 through long-term care homes is in large part due to poor conditions for workers. Their deaths highlight the dire consequences of institutionalized racism.

There are similar stories from migrant farm workers, caregivers and cleaners, among others, who have kept the economy running throughout the pandemic. BIPOC workers are routinely ignored and devalued across sectors, even though they make up a significant proportion of what economist Armine Yalnizyan refers to as the “essential economy.”

There cannot be economic recovery, much less prosperity, without addressing and remedying such inequities through policy.

It’s imperative to urgently address the state of precarious work disproportionately done by BIPOC and women workers. All jobs – especially essential jobs – must have better protections, such as 14 days of paid sick leave and paid family leave. To support those who have lost work, the YWCA and the Institute for Gender and the Economy are also calling on the federal government to increase Employment Insurance benefits to an 85% income-replacement rate for those who are low income.

BIPOC communities have been sharing for decades, if not centuries, what needs to change to make our society inclusive and equitable as we move forward. Recommendations put forth by groups such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Parliamentary Black Caucus provide roadmaps. Some of those recommendations include increasing funding directed to training, mentorship and other employment programs for BIPOC communities, especially those who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Companies and governments should set procurement targets of at least 15% for BIPOC-led businesses and support their development, especially small businesses. A recent survey found that 80% of racialized founders lost contracts, customers and clients during the pandemic – the highest rate of all equity-seeking communities.

The corporate sector can play an important role by changing policies and practices that aren’t inclusive or supportive of BIPOC workers, as well as advocating for public policies that address the root causes of injustice and racism.

Social and economic conditions are deeply interlinked and contribute to health and well-being, or lack thereof. Inequitable conditions have created a perfect storm that has resulted in outsized negative impacts from COVID-19 on BIPOC communities. This pandemic has not only exposed but has deepened the social fault lines that were already present. While Canada needs to collect disaggregated data on the impacts of the pandemic on BIPOC, migrant and all other communities that face inequity and injustice, experts are noting that racism and health inequities are leading to higher rates of COVID-19 in Toronto neighbourhoods with larger Black populations. A recent survey found that high poverty rates among most racialized groups prior to the COVID-19 pandemic make them vulnerable to the financial impact of work disruptions.

Our Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for Canada makes explicit that recovery policies must recognize how systemic racism and gender inequity have been major contributors to Canada’s economic freefall and health crisis. Now, we can build back better from this crisis by making equity a central pillar of recovery, and all sectors should contribute.

If we are truly all in this together, we need to start acting like it.

Carmina Ravanera is a research associate working on post-pandemic gender equity policies at the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the University of Toronto.

Anjum Sultana is the national director of public policy and strategic communications at YWCA Canada.

They are co-authors of A Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for Canada: Making the Economy Work for Everyone.

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